Senate Democrat Files Complaint Against Former Majority Leader

Phoenix, AZ – The complaint stems from the Feb. 25 incident where Scott Bundgaard got into a squabble in the median of a highway with his then girlfriend. While Bundgaard said he was the victim, he was arrested and earlier this month agreed to plead guilty to endangerment and enter into a domestic violence counseling program. But Sen. Steve Gallardo said the fact that the criminal case is over and Bundgaard was placed on probation should not be the end of the matter.

(If you read these police reports and the documentation we have attached to it, if you hear what the witnesses have to say, this is domestic violence. He was beating her up along the 51. And for us as a legislative body not to look at this type of issue, we're not talking a minor traffic incident here. We're talking domestic violence.)

Sen. Ron Gould who chairs the Ethics Committee said the next step in the process will be to give Bundgaard a chance to respond in writing. At that point the full committee will decide whether to proceed. Not everyone on the panel agrees. Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor, a Democrat like Gallardo, had filed an earlier complaint against Bundgaard. But that was placed on hold while the criminal case went forward. Taylor said she believes once that played out, there is no need for an Ethics probe. Bundgaard did not return calls seeking comment. For Arizona Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.